From Gordes to Sénanque Abbey via the Sénancole

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A beautiful, easy hike that takes you to some of the most beautiful sites in the Luberon, including the villages of Gordes and Les Bories and Sénanque Abbey.

Details

n°4151903
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.22 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 906 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 889 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,532 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 817 ft
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Photos

If you want to get lost..
Ruined shelter
Gordes
trail

Description of the walk

Park in the car park located below the Route de Sénanque, at Place René Cassin, near the police station.

(S/E) Leave the car park, follow the road for about 50 metres, then turn right onto the small road (GR®®6) which climbs steeply towards the Route de Sénanque.

(1) Turn left and follow this road down for about 200 metres.

(2) Turn right onto the Chemin de Granan, towards “Village des Bories” and “La Sénancole”. Continue along this small tarmac road until you reach the T-junction, then turn right. Stay on this road, ignoring the various side roads.

(3) At this point, a sign on the left reads “private road”. Take the private road to the end, then follow the narrow path that descends to the left beneath the property, which is closed off by a gate. This path leads to a small road; take this to the right until you reach the village of Les Bories (which you may wish to visit).
(4) Take the path that starts on the right as you leave the village, beneath the boundary wall. This path leads to the Sénancole valley, which you then follow northwards.

(5) Do not continue into the valley (as the path becomes quite difficult further on), but leave it and take the well-marked path that branches off to the left towards the hamlet of La Débroussède. Continue along this path, which climbs steeply above the valley, keeping to the right at every junction. You will reach the hamlet.

(6) Continue straight ahead (north-east) along the path marked by a large cairn towards Sénanque Abbey, which comes into view perched on the hillside shortly after the hamlet. Walk past the abbey on the right.

(7) Leave the abbey via the small path that branches off to the right above the car park towards Gordes. This path leads to the Route de Sénanque, which you follow to the right for about a hundred metres.

(8) Take the correct path (GR®®6) which descends to the right towards Gordes. Join the Route de Sénanque and follow it for about 200 metres.

(1) Turn left, then left again at the end of the street to return to the starting car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,135 ft - Place René Cassin car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.22 - alt. 1,194 ft - Route de Sénanque – Junction of the circular route
  3. 2 : mi 0.36 - alt. 1,148 ft - Chemin de Granan
  4. 3 : mi 1.09 - alt. 1,040 ft - Private road on the left
  5. 4 : mi 1.51 - alt. 915 ft - The trail starts just below the entrance to the village - Village des Bories
  6. 5 : mi 2.29 - alt. 869 ft - Path on the left. Cross the - Sénancole (cours d'eau)
  7. 6 : mi 3.06 - alt. 1,342 ft - La Débroussède - Cairn
  8. 7 : mi 3.75 - alt. 1,260 ft - Junction - Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque
  9. 8 : mi 4.24 - alt. 1,519 ft - Path on the right
  10. S/E : mi 5.22 - alt. 1,132 ft - Place René Cassin car park

Notes

A picnic area with tables is available for walkers behind Sénanque Abbey.
Check for guided tour times. Audio-guided tours are available outside these times.

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 70 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
MARYSE45
MARYSE45

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

In this heat, I arrived early at the car park in the village of Les Bories (which is always free), so there were no parking problems.
I followed the route map for the whole walk because, given the number of little paths going in all directions, I can’t see how you could possibly avoid getting lost!
I really enjoyed this circular route, on which I came across very few other people.
I spotted a small error in the route description, at point 5, which says to turn left towards ‘Débroussède’ when the signs actually say ‘La Pouraque’ and ‘Les Boujolles’. If I hadn’t followed the GPS track, I would have gone straight on!

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User 29644016

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short but very pleasant and accessible route. We didn’t come across many people, which made the walk even more enjoyable. I’d recommend it. The car park is very full, though, so be careful. The walk took 2½ hours.

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User 29644016

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short but very pleasant and accessible route. We didn’t come across many people, which made the walk even more enjoyable. I’d recommend it. The car park is very busy, though, so be careful

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Aymeric
Aymeric

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An exceptional place that’s an absolute must-see: the village of Gordes, its bastides, the drystone shelters, a breathtaking landscape – and I haven’t even mentioned the abbey... The quality of the route is average, and the sat-nav is a great help in finding your way around. For lovers of Provence like us

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christdebret
christdebret
• Edited:

A lovely route, with several options to choose from as you go along; the highlight is discovering the abbey on the hilltop – it’s magnificent!
Happy hiking to everyone...

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Brunet Alain
Brunet Alain

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A truly beautiful and fascinating route in every respect

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Martine B
Martine B
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with stunning views.
The various cultural stops are very interesting (the village of drystone shelters and the Resistance)
And the arrival at Sénanque... magical

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christdebret
christdebret

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route, with several options to choose from as you go along; the highlight is discovering the abbey on the hilltop – it’s magnificent!
Happy hiking to everyone...

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Brunet Alain
Brunet Alain

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A truly beautiful and fascinating route in every respect

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Horusanubis
Horusanubis

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the land of "dry stone walls".
The village of Les Bories is well worth a visit 🤩
Indeed, I agree with a previous review which points out that you really must follow the app’s GPS, as some of the narrow paths are hard to spot at first glance.
A visit to the magnificent Sénanque Abbey is also a must... as is a quick tour of the beautiful town of Gordes 🤩
The only slight downside is that the car park at the start of the hike is small and finding a space is very difficult, as Gordes attracts a lot of visitors...

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Chout
Chout

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A comment on point 5
The arrows on the signpost do not point towards the hamlet of La Débroussède.
The arrow pointing left indicates Les Boujolles
It is advisable to follow this direction as indicated in the description. The climb over the rocks is difficult enough as it is; continuing into the valley is best left to ‘mountaineers’

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ajmart
ajmart

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk starting from the beautiful village of Gordes.
Make sure you follow the GPS track closely, as this helps at certain junctions where small paths meet.
Otherwise, make sure you wear sturdy shoes as the paths are very stony.
The Abbey of Sénanque is a real gem. A magnificent estate, both in terms of its setting and the building itself.

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BéFiT84
BéFiT84

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Short walk, beautiful scenery and a wonderful time at the abbey.
Personally, I found it an easy hike with a 30-minute break, and it took me 30 minutes less than expected.
Worth doing again and again and again.

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lauzerte1851
lauzerte1851

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There are a few inaccuracies in the description, but I quickly found my way. The route is pleasant, and arriving at the back of the abbey is more surprising, as its façade is so well known but so beautiful.

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MAMAROT J-L
MAMAROT J-L

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Like the previous hikers, I think it's better to start from the village of Les Bories (free parking).

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